Doctors in the family?

[dancerdoc89]

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Do you have doctors in your immediate family? If so, how do you think that will affect your ability to get into medical school, especially schools that your family members attended?

 

[deleted357625]

no and none

 

[sc4s2cg]

Nope. Everyone in my family was/is service oriented though. Parents are pastors, grandmothers are teachers. Grandfather 1 was a pastor, grandfather 2 was in the military. Uncles and aunts are either teachers, professors, or business men.

 

[CliveStaples]

I think it plays a small part, either positively or negatively.

Obviously, you don't want to make it sound like you're just following a path set before you by your parents, so you need to demonstrate you have a unique passion for medicine.

At the same time, I think it helps to know what the lifestyle of a physician looks like. Demonstrating that you've seen the less glamorous side of medicine is a good sign.

 

[CaliGirl14]

None. My dad didn't even graduate high school. My mother did.
First time college-goer 🙂 gonna be the first doctor too!!! Hell to the yeahhh.

 

[armybound]

Seems like half of my class comes from a family with at least 1 physician.

 

[Cinclus]

No docs in my family. Mom's a teacher/secretary at a church, and my dad's an auto mechanic. Grandpa was an engineer, and grandma was a teacher. Lots of teachers going further back, too. If I weren't going into medicine, I'd likely also become an educator. I don't think it really helps give you a leg-up in the application process, unless it's a legacy thing with one 'o them highfalutin schools.

 

[Barcu]

I have a physician in the family, and it was nice to have access to his colleagues for some shadowing experience. Plus, it gives you a first-hand view on how being a physician can affect family life, and I certainly had many conversations about being a physician. So that was nice.

In terms of individual schools, can't say it helped me a ton. I didn't get an interview where he went to med school. I did get an interview where he works, but it was also my state school and my numbers were above average. So, don't think it really was a big deal at all.

 

[235788]

Good for you! No physicians in any of the branches of my family tree. It doesn't have much effect on admissions anyway, beyond exposing you to the medical lifestyle at an early age so you know what you're getting into.

Do you have doctors in your immediate family? If so, how do you think that will affect your ability to get into medical school, especially schools that your family members attended?

I can say it definitely does help, especially if they are associated with a medical school. I'm a below average white male with a below average app and an above average application season.

 

[penguinism]

My father is a physician, and I'm currently waitlisted at the school that he went to. The school said they don't really take legacy into account. If your parent WORKS for a school (has a faculty position), then you might have a better shot at getting an interview. Acceptance is based on your own merit.

 

[kexy]

It can help, as it gives you a realistic understanding of what it's like to be a physician, but it can also hurt... if you have doctors for parents, be sure to prepare an answer for questions about whether they influenced or pressured you in your decision.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

No physicians in my family, though my dad worked for a doctor. It's helpful to have connections like that for shadowing purposes.

 

[Aerus]

No and none.

If I make it as a doctor, I'll be the first one in my whole family tree!

 

[Big N Tasty]

No and none.

If I make it as a doctor, I'll be the first one in my whole family tree!

Same here! 😀

 

[MDschoolorbust]

No and none.

If I make it as a doctor, I'll be the first one in my whole family tree!

Here too 😀

Hopefully my shadowing experience helps with the advantage doctor's kids have with lifestyle experience.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Do you have doctors in your immediate family? If so, how do you think that will affect your ability to get into medical school, especially schools that your family members attended?

Yes and it was a net positive effect. The medical school system that my father applied into was very different, as were the perceived pros and cons of various schools. He wasn't much help in terms of prepping for the application cycle, because he didn't do any prep (no advising at his uni). He just signed up for the MCAT, took it, and applied. However, I did find him very valuable in terms of seeing both the professional and personal life aspects of a career in medicine. We have also had numerous discussions about medical policy and ethics over the years that have shaped my viewpoints. Lastly, it definitely helped me get into medical school, and I think it probably made up for my relatively minimal clinical experiences. As one dean of admissions put it, "we think it is in the genes". I also got a full ride at his alma mater, though that may have also been because they completely and totally screwed him over years ago by sending the wrong deans letter to residencies. I had to reject it on principle, because they didn't even have him in the school photo (they had double posted another person with the same last name😡).

 

[tenndoc]

Yup. Uncle is an ophthalmologist. Got me hooked up with a surgeon at his hospital to shadow

 

[tiedyeddog]

Seems like half of my class comes from a family with at least 1 physician.

Same here, many of my classmates have multiple.

My parents were both in medicine. My dad has been my role model and a great source of encouragement for me.